Two Private Eyes, One GPS, One Fake DUI Tip = 200 x "I Take the 5th."

Two private investigators accused of tailing an Orange County councilman with a GPS device and setting up another by calling in a false drunk driving report were charged Thursday with false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit a crime, the district attorney's office said.

Private eye takes the 5th more than 200 times in fake-DUI case

The Costa Mesa councilmen were targeted in the midst of a protracted city-police fight in 2012. The detectives were hired hands for an Upland law firm that had an advertised client list of more than 120 public safety unions and a reputation for aggressive attacks on City Hall, prosecutors say.

Christopher Joseph Lanzillo, 45, of Lake Arrowhead and Scott Alan Impola, 46, of Canyon Lake put a GPS monitor on Councilman Steve Mensinger's car in July 2012, prosecutors say, and tracked him for about a month. (more)

Update: A Police Commander's Wife, Their Unlicensed PI Business and Spyware...

CA - A Northern California woman has pleaded guilty to wiretapping a police officer and other people and to possessing spyware.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says Monday that in pleading guilty, Kristin Nyunt admitted that from 2010 to 2012 she used spy software she purchased online.

Federal prosecutors say the 40-year-old woman installed the software on cell phones and computers of several people she spied on, including a police officer. (more) (background)

PI High Flyers are not Keeping a Low Profile - What could possibly go wrong?

(Private) Investigators are taking drones to new heights — using the remote-controlled aircraft to catch New Yorkers cheating on spouses, lying about disabilities and endangering their kids.

“People want you to believe there’s all this negativity associated with drones . . . but they could be a very helpful tool,” said Olwyn Triggs, a gumshoe for 23 years and president of Professional Investigators Network Inc. in Glen Cove, LI.

Triggs recently used a drone to find an upstate man suspected of insurance fraud. Signs on his rural property warned that trespassers would be shot, so she sent in her 2-pound, foot-long Phantom 2 Vision quadcopter, which costs about $1,000...

"And if they're not disabled..."

Matthew Seifer recently pretended to test-fly a drone in Central Park. He was actually recording a husband fooling around with a female coworker from 100 feet away.

“Sometimes the best thing is to be right there in plain sight,” said Seifer, president of Long Island-based Executive Investigations...

“We raised the drone above the restaurant, [and] he was engaged in a sexual act in the front seat of his car,” the investigator said. “[Drones] get us those types of money shots.” (more)

...an FAA crackdown, loss of PI license, lawsuit defense expenses, etc.

PI Alert: Low Cost Spy Photo/Movie Gadget for Your Smartphone

Peek-I – it’s a tiny spy gadget that helps you take pictures discreetly. 

Peek-I - Easily attaches’ magnetically to the camera of your mobile device. It works as a periscope, reflecting the image at a 90 degree angle. 

Is so tiny, that it’s hard to notice it is on your device at all. And no one will ever know you were the ONE who took THAT picture or film THAT video!!! So do you feel like James Bond yet? 

Make awesome shots of your friends, completely unaware that they were on camera!!! You don’t need to point camera directly on the object! Don’t scare your astonishing award winning picture away! Peek-I is there for you! 

Only a few of us have the courage to openly take pictures of other people or objects, at times it’s merely impossible. But the outer lens for devices Peek-I opens completely new prospective for all sorts of pictures, without being afraid to draw attention. Thanks to Peek-I, you can take a picture from around a corner without being noticed. You can also get great shots of weirdos walking down the street right next to you, without them realizing what you are doing. 

The cute design makes it look like another accessory for your device; moreover it can be easily removed, like it was never there! (more)

PI Job Opportunity - Spy Agency Hires PIs to do its Snooping

New Zealand - It might be an organization dedicated to snooping - but the nation's spy agency has still forked out $50,000 to hire private investigators.

Details released under the Official Information Act show that during the past three years the Government Communications Security Bureau has paid contractors to investigate two matters. Director Ian Fletcher said they were "personnel-related issues".

The investigations ran concurrently and lasted five months, costing $46,009.

Mr Fletcher declined to give further details - and would not reveal the outcome of the investigations "in order to protect the privacy of the persons involved". (more)

Hong Kong PI's are Parents Eyes

China - Rich mainland parents are paying thousands of Hong Kong dollars to private investigators to spy on their children studying in Hong Kong, including PhD students and kindergarteners...

Philic Man Hin-nam, founder and director of Global Investigation and Security Consultancy, an all-woman detective agency, said that mainland student cases accounted for about 40 per cent of the more than 100 requests made by parents last summer for information on their children...

"Many mainland students studying in Hong Kong are single children from rich families," Liu of Wan King On Investigations said, "Those parents attach great importance to their children's behavior." (more)

World's Smallest Night Vision HD DV Digital Camera for under $50.00

For the PI on your shopping list who has everything...

Features:

• The Night Vision DC DV Smallest Camera
• Night Vision LEDs
• Take photo, Record Video and Audio under different conditions
• Record the special moment at any time
• Dimensions: 4.5 x 2.8 x 1.7 cm

Specifications:

• Pinhole 12.0M Lens
• Image Resolution: 4032 x 3024 pixel
• Color Video Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixel
• FPS: 24 frames per second
• Image file format: JPEG
• Video file format: AVI (MJPG)
• Audio file format: WAV
• Color Video and Audio
• Built-in Rechargeable 260mAh Li-ion battery
• Recording Time: Approx. 60 minutes
• Memory Card: Support Micro SD/SDHC Card/TF Card
• Weight: 41 gram
• Dimensions: 45 x 28 x 17 mm

Package Contents:

• 1 piece The Night Vision DC DV Smallest Camera
• 1 piece USB Charging/Data Cable
• 1 piece Handy Strap (more)

Private Investigator + Software Firm = Cell Phone Spyware Arrest

India - The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police arrested two persons, who allegedly used a software to collect confidential and personal data of cellphone users, for detective purposes...

The preliminary investigation has revealed that several mobile numbers of clients all over India have been snooped upon over the past year, the police said.

[The] firm was allegedly involved in using snooping software on Android and Blackberry based mobile phones. The firm was allegedly monitoring phone calls and messages of people, on behalf of their clients for detective purposes...

Once the software is installed and whenever user starts using the mobile, all data pertaining to his calls including conversation recordings / messages / e-mails, chats, picture and videos on the mobile phone would be automatically uploaded to a server hosted somewhere else using the target mobile phone’s GPRS data.

Even the exact geographical movements of the target in terms of latitude and longitude would be recorded and sent to the server in real time. The clients of detective agencies would be provided with a login username and password to view the data and movements of target’s mobile phone on a web browser and Google maps. (more)

Smartphone Spy Lens

Why mention this?
Our PI friends need to know, and so you will know what you're up against.

"The Smartphone Spy Lens is a tiny gizmo you attach to your phone to take photos at a 90° angle. You can slyly hold your phone in texting position, while photoing straight ahead!

Periscope around a corner. Snap candid shots of your camera-shy kids. Take a photo of your dinner plate without having to climb up on the table.

Its high quality glass and mirrored interior ensures no photo quality is lost. Attach the included metal ring around your phone's lens and the Spy Lens magnetizes securely onto it.



Since it twists 360° you'll have all the advantages of a camera with a swivel screen. Hold it high and still see what you're shooting. Hold it low without dropping into an army crawl to set your focus.

With the Spy Lens in place you can lay your phone down and still shoot straight ahead. Turning any surface into an impromptu tripod for self ports, group pix and steady videoing." (more)

'I listened to Marilyn die': Private eye who bugged Monroe's house reveals details...

Files shedding new light on Marilyn Monroe's last night alive and her relationships with President John F Kennedy and his younger brother Bobby have emerged 51 years after her death.

Documents belonging to the late Fred Otash, one of Hollywood's most notorious private detectives, were uncovered by his daughter Colleen after being found in a suburban storage unit.

...in his notes, Otash claimed: 'I listened to Marilyn Monroe die.'

He recorded that on August 5 1962, she had a violent argument with the Kennedys and that she felt that she had been 'passed around like a piece of meat'.

The notes read: 'She was really screaming and they were trying to quiet her down.'

'She's in the bedroom and Bobby gets the pillow and he muffles her on the bed to keep the neighbors from hearing. She finally quieted down and then he was looking to get out of there.'

Otash only found out she had died later on.

A red filing cabinet that contained Otash's most sensitive material was removed from his apartment by his lawyer after he collapsed from an apparent heart attack. Its contents were never seen again. (more)

Private Investigators Convene in Atlantic City Next Month

On June 26th, private investigators from across the country will be on their way to Atlantic City for the East Coast Super Conference, presented by PI Magazine and hosted by the New Jersey Licenced Private Investigators Association (NJLPIA). 

The conference includes 17 presentations from guest speakers Diane Dimond, Joe Pistone, F. Lee Bailey, and more, including a presentation on the real undercover life of Donnie Brasco. A full exhibitor hall and many activities for attendees and their families will be available. Located at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, the conference will also have door prizes, including 1 week in Aruba! (more) (video)

Thus, making all other PIs reach for a Kleenex®.

Two private investigators claim David Miscavige, the leader of the Church of Scientology, paid them $12million over the course of 24 years to spy on his former rival, along with other enemies.

The top-secret program gave Paul Marrick and Greg Arnold about $500,000 a year and sent them across the world in pursuit of Pat Broeker, who was briefly head of the church before being forced out, the men say. They are now suing the church after the paychecks stopped rolling in. (more)

Lawyer and Her PI Indicted in Bug Planting Scheme

CA - A Bay Area divorce lawyer has been indicted in connection with a scheme to plant eavesdropping devices in the cars of her clients’ spouses, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. 

Chris Butler

Mary Nolan, the San Ramon lawyer, hired Christopher Butler, a private investigator, to install the listening equipment to help her clients in divorce and child custody cases, according to a six-count indictment made public Tuesday. 

Butler has admitted that he arranged for beautiful women — he called them “decoys”— to ply the husbands of Nolan’s clients and others with alcohol. Once the women got the men behind the wheel, Butler called police to report they were driving under the influence. (more)

Fun Fact: Private Investigations on the Rise in India

India's Assn. of Private Detectives and Investigators has 1,200 members, up from 13 in 2005. Much of the industry's business involves premarital investigations. Growing demand spurred the recent opening of Kolkata's Anapol Institute, said to be India's first private-detective school. (more)

"We do Private Investigation either in Kitchen or in Bedroom or anywhere with evidence. We use all available modern Electronic Gadgets." Quote from a local agency.

FutureWatch: The rise of TSCM services.

Corporate espionage via social media rampant in India

India - Over 35 per cent of companies operating in various sectors across India are engaged in corporate espionage to gain advantage over their competitors and are even spying on their employees via social networking Web sites, according to a just-concluded survey undertaken by apex industry body Assocham.

Mr D.S. Rawat, Secretary-General, Assocham.

Assocham carried out a covert survey during the January-May period and interacted with about 1,500 CEOs and EDs from diverse sectors in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai to ascertain the measures taken by India Inc to safeguard their data, plans, clients' details, products and other confidential and trade-related secrets.

Besides, Assocham representatives also interacted with about 200 private eye agencies, corporate spooks, detective firms, surveillance agencies and trained sleuths in the five cities, Mr D.S. Rawat, Secretary-General, Assocham, said in a statement here. (more)

Some Fun Summer Reading about Private Investigators...

Who knows? You might be inspired to become a private detective novelist.

Fire up your Kindle and start with, How Do Private Eyes Do That? by Colleen Collins

Then read, How to Write a Dick: A Guide for Writing Fictional Sleuths from a Couple of Real-Life Sleuths. by Shaun Kaufman and Colleen Collins, and start writing your own private detective novel.

The authors bill themselves as, "a couple of PIs who also happen to write." Visit them at their blog, Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes. It is full of great information about modern PIs and how they operate. They also provide tips for writers, like The Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make at a Crime Scene.

Private Investigator Blogs Worth Checking Out

I came across a blog by Sheer Investigations. It is worth checking out. Don't know how they scooped me with this photo. Well done! Many more interesting posts there, too.

 

Other well respected investigations blogs. (As compiled by PInow.com; and a great blog in and of itself.) and many more. Explore!

PI's Spy Plane Vanishes on Easter. Divine Intervention?

Swaziland - A spy plane worth E20 000, belonging to Private Investigator Hunter Shongwe has gone missing.

Shongwe says the unmanned craft which had only three days disappeared while on a mission around Lobamba on Thursday afternoon.

The gadget operates as a spy camera to take pictures of people and places without raising suspicion.

By remote control, he flew the small aircraft in the direction of Somhlolo National Stadium where members of the League of Churches were arriving for the Easter services.

The small plane was on a mission to record everything that was happening at the stadium and surrounding areas during the night.

His mission of spying on the Christians failed when the gadget got lost. (more)

Advice: Use Cell Phone Forensics, not Spyware, to Gather Evidence

via Pursuit Magazine...
"As a private investigator, I’m often asked by businesses to gather information from cell phones owned by a company; you can protect your business by tracking your employee’s cell phone data. Even though I know the best method for collecting data from phones is through mobile phone forensics, one client was insistent that we use spyware to track calls, text messages, etc. from one specific employee they suspected of stealing from the company..." (and it goes downhill from here) (more)

News of the World phone hacking scandal could deepen and spread to the U.S.

The phone hacking scandal could deepen and spread to the U.S. after claims the private detective who hacked phones for the News of the World had American telephone numbers in his notes.

Glenn Mulcaire, who was jailed in 2007 for illegally accessing mobile-phone messages, had the numbers of singer Charlotte Church’s Los Angeles agent and New York publicist among thousands of pages of notes seized by Scotland Yard detectives, it has been claimed.

Miss Church, 26, whose personal phones and those of her parents were hacked by Mulcaire for at least four years, settled a lawsuit against News International on February 23.

News International, which closed the News of the World in July in an attempt to contain public anger, still faces possible claims by more than 800 'likely' victims identified by police as they sift through 11,000 pages of Mulcaire’s notes. (more)